Galway Bay fm newsroom - A 96 year old woman Mayo native, living in New York, who is suing her Galway cousins, has told a court that they did not respond to her requests to return the money she allegedly loaned them.
Retired waitress, Kathleen McNicholas told the High Court here that she loaned 300 thousand dollars to Olive Cunningham of Rockfield Park and Ann Cunningham of Fursey Road Shantalla to do up their homes
Kathleen McNicholas, who has no children herself, saved a substantial amount of money since moving to New York in 1954, through working and investing in stocks.
Her cousin Olive Cunningham says the 200 thousand dollars she received from Ms.McNicholas was given to provide 24-hour home care for her ill brother.
He was the only member of the family still living in the family farm near Knock and he subsequently died in 2012.
She claims an additional 50 thousand euro received from her American cousin was a 'gift' to 'treat' herself and her family and was not a loan.
Ms McNicholas' other cousin, Ann Cunningham says she received an unsolicited 100 thousand dollars when she visited New York in 2013 and that it was a gift.
According to today's Irish Times, Kathleen McNicholas gave evidence to the High Court by video-link from New York.
She said the money was given to the women to do work on their homes and when she asked for it back, they said they were selling their homes and would return the funds when prices went up.
Ms. McNicholas says the two women then failed to respond to her calls and she wrote to them seeking repayment of the money as she needed it for her own care.
When she failed to get a response, she issued legal proceedings here.
The hearing is continuing before Justice Charles Meenan and is being expedited due to Ms. McNicholas age.
